The courtroom drama centred on Ujjwal Nikam and 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks has sparked discussion online, with viewers sharing their opinions on its storytelling, key scenes and overall impact.
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Rajkummar Rao’s 26/11 drama struggles to leave an impact (PC: IMDb)
The story of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks has been explored in several films over the years, but Prahaar: The Ujjwal Nikam Story takes a different route by focusing on the legal battle surrounding the tragedyStarring Rajkummar Rao as lawyer Ujjwal Nikam, the courtroom drama attempts to bring the dedication, challenges and responsibilities of a lawyer handling one of India’s most significant terror cases to the big screenDirected by Avinash Arun, the film also features Wamiqa Gabbi, Jaideep Ahlawat, Ashish Vidyarthi, Sikandar Kher and Lalit Prabhakar in important rolesWith a serious subject and a cast of established performers, the film arrived with expectations of delivering an intense and impactful courtroom experience.
Prahaar Twitter review: What are netizens saying?
As audiences share their first reactions on social media, Prahaar has received a mixed responseWhile some viewers have praised Rajkummar Rao’s performance and the film’s courtroom sequences, others feel that the drama fails to do justice to its subjectThe film’s pacing, screenplay and overall execution have emerged as major talking pointsSeveral viewers believe that the story had the potential to offer a more gripping theatrical experience, while others have called it an engaging film that deserves attention for revisiting the events of 26/11 through the perspective of Ujjwal Nikam.
Netizens praise Rajkummar Rao and the film’s courtroom drama
Among the positive reactions, some viewers have described Prahaar as an intense and gripping courtroom dramaOne social media user praised the film’s attempt to present the truth that unfolded in court and called it a must-watch for every IndianThe viewer also applauded Rajkummar Rao’s performance, describing it as a masterclass and highlighting the film’s emotional impact.
Another viewer expressed strong appreciation for the film, calling it an intense, edgy and compelling courtroom dramaThe user praised the casting and described Rajkummar Rao as fantastic in the role of Ujjwal NikamLalit Prabhakar, who plays Ajmal Aamir Kasab, was also praised for his performance, with the menace on his face making his portrayal particularly strikingDirector Avinash Arun was applauded for keeping the narrative engaging, while the film’s music and emotional moments also received appreciation.
Some viewers call Prahaar an average attempt
Despite the positive comments, several reactions have been critical of the film’s executionOne viewer rated Prahaar two stars and called it a strictly average attempt at telling Ujjwal Nikam’s storyAccording to the reaction, the film takes too long to establish its narrative, with only a few sequences standing out in the first half.
The pre-interval scene was highlighted as one of the stronger moments, while the sequence immediately after the interval and the climax were also praisedHowever, the viewer felt that much of the remaining film was average and that a shorter runtime could have made the overall impact stronger.
The same viewer also criticised Rajkummar Rao’s performance, particularly his accent and dialogue deliveryWamiqa Gabbi’s role was described as underdeveloped, with the viewer feeling that her character did not contribute enough to the storyThe direction and screenplay were considered decent, but the reviewer questioned whether a handful of strong scenes were enough to make the film successful as a whole.
Check out users reactions on Prahaar here
Wowww… #Prahaar! What a film! I was completely engrossed, watching the masterclass performance by our dear @RajkummarRaoTake a bow, bro!
A must-watch for every Indian to understand the truth that unfolded in the courtroomPowerful, gripping and truly impactful cinema!
— hemanshu mistry (@_hemanshu_) October 16, 2026
Mannnnnnn #Prahaar was actually SO GOOD Rajkummar Rao absolutely nailed this role! Really hope more people watch it because this film deserves ALL THE LOVE! https://t.co/UOcPFbd7cG
— अर्नब गोस्वामी (Parody) (@RealArnab_) October 16, 2026
Mann Prahaar movie Can we say Rajkummar Rao has absolutely nailed his role but Lalit Prabhakar has OUTSHINED him?
I’m sure this movie is going to be one of the biggest hitsNot a single weak character in sight! https://t.co/5NrEktAHTY
— Aditi(@Sassy_Soul_) October 16, 2026
Prahaar – The Ujjwal Nikam StoryI loved it.
One of the most intense, gripping, edgy courtroom dramas I have seen.
Producer Dinesh Vijan makes an audience-attracting entertainer once again with a serious subjectKudos to him for not just producing such content-driven movies but backing such strong narrativesWish there were more producers like him.
Superb casting@RajkummarRao as Ujjwal Nikam is fantastic.
Well researchedDirector Avinash Arun is brilliant & keeps us glued to our seats.
A film made of confidence and conviction with a compelling narrative that keeps you hooked till the endMust watchMakes you emotionalWe never can forget the past, can we? YesIt is that powerfulIt keeps pulling at our heartstrings.
Music is excellent.4 stars
— Upala KBR ❤ (@upalakbr999) October 15, 2026
#PrahaarReview: DECENT ATTEMPT
RATING – ⭐⭐✨2.5/5*
#Prahaar is a decent attempt on the 26/11 and #UjjwalNikam’s biopic that has some powerful speeches but has some pacing issuesThe film could have been a far more gripping experience if it had wrapped up within 120 minutes.
#RajkummarRao almost pulls off a wonder, except for some accent problems#WamiqaGabbi doesn’t get anything particularly special to do
It’s not a bad film at all; it’s just that it doesn’t put in enough effort to become a genuinely good one.
As a whole, Prahaar has some worthwhile things to say, and its courtroom moments certainly deserve your attentionHowever, I wish the film had been more focused, tighter, and consistent in its storytelling.
— $@M (@SAMTHEBESTEST_) October 15, 2026
Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam Movie Review: राजकुमार राव भी नहीं बचा पाए फिल्म, कसाब की कहानी में रोमांच गायब
26/11 मुंबई आतंकी हमले पर अब तक कई फिल्में और वेब सीरीज बन चुकी हैं‘The Attacks of 26/11’, ‘Hotel Mumbai’, ‘State of Siege: 26/11’ और ‘Mumbai Diaries 26/11’ में इस हमले को अलग-अलग नजरिए से दिखाया गयाअब ‘Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam’ में कहानी को कानूनी नजरिए से पेश किया गया हैराजकुमार राव सरकारी वकील उज्ज्वल निकम की भूमिका में हैं, जिन्होंने अजमल कसाब के मुकदमे में अहम भूमिका निभाई थीलेकिन सवाल यही है कि पुरानी कहानी को नए नजरिए से दिखाने की जरूरत क्या थी, जब फिल्म में कुछ नया जोड़ने की कोशिश नाकाम नजर आती है.
कहानी में नयापन नहीं, अविनाश अरुण की कोशिश बेअसर
निर्देशक अविनाश अरुण ने फिल्म को संभालने और प्रभावशाली बनाने की पूरी कोशिश की है, लेकिन कमजोर पटकथा उनकी मेहनत पर भारी पड़ती हैनई बोतल में पुरानी शराब डालकर कितनी भी बेहतरीन पैकेजिंग कर ली जाए, उसका असर व्यापक नहीं होताफिल्म को देखकर ऐसा लगता है कि या तो इसे जल्दबाजी में बनाया गया है या फिर पुरानी कहानी पर रंग-रोगन करके नए अंदाज में पेश कर दिया गया है.
अगर इसे उज्ज्वल निकम की बायोपिक के तौर पर देखा जाए, तो भी फिल्म उनके व्यक्तित्व, संघर्ष और पेशेवर सफर को यादगार ढंग से सामने नहीं ला पातीसिर्फ चर्चित शख्सियत को पर्दे पर उतारना काफी नहीं होता, कहानी में नयापन और भावनात्मक गहराई भी जरूरी है.
राजकुमार राव औसत, ललित प्रभाकर का शानदार काम
राजकुमार राव से हमेशा बेहतर अभिनय की उम्मीद रहती है, लेकिन उज्ज्वल निकम के किरदार में वह इस बार चौंकाने में नाकाम रहते हैंउनकी अदाकारी औसत है और किरदार में वह धार नजर नहीं आती, जो फिल्म को प्रभावशाली बना सके.
इसके उलट, अजमल कसाब के किरदार में मराठी अभिनेता ललित प्रभाकर प्रभावित करते हैंकसाब की क्रूरता, चालाकी, झूठ और अदालत में बचने की कोशिशों को उन्होंने विश्वसनीय ढंग से पेश किया हैकई दृश्यों में उनका अभिनय राजकुमार राव से बेहतर नजर आता है.
कसाब के वकील अब्बास काजी के किरदार में सिकंदर खेर और जज की भूमिका में आशीष विद्यार्थी ने भी अपने किरदारों के साथ न्याय किया हैहालांकि, कमजोर स्क्रीनप्ले के कारण अच्छे कलाकारों की मौजूदगी भी फिल्म में जरूरी रोमांच पैदा नहीं कर पाती.
जयदीप अहलावत और वामिका गब्बी की कास्टिंग पर सवाल
वामिका गब्बी फिल्म में उज्ज्वल निकम की पत्नी की भूमिका निभाती हैंफिल्म एक व्यस्त वकील की निजी जिंदगी और परिवार पर उसके काम के असर को दिखाने की कोशिश करती हैराजकुमार राव के किरदार और उनके बेटे के बीच पिता-पुत्र के तनाव वाले दृश्य भावनात्मक असर छोड़ते हैं, लेकिन इस ट्रैक को अनुमानित तरीके से सुलझा दिया जाता है.
जयदीप अहलावत और वामिका गब्बी जैसे प्रतिभाशाली कलाकारों की मौजूदगी के बावजूद उनके किरदार कोई खास छाप नहीं छोड़तेऐसे में उनकी कास्टिंग का पूरा औचित्य समझ नहीं आता.
कुछ दृश्य अच्छे, लेकिन रोमांच नदारद
फिल्म में कुछ दृश्य जरूर प्रभावित करते हैंरेलवे स्टेशन पर गोलीबारी के दृश्य हमले की भयावहता सामने लाते हैं, जबकि अदालत में एक छोटी बच्ची की गवाही का प्रसंग प्रभावशाली हैपिता-पुत्र के बीच बातचीत भी फिल्म का एक अच्छा भावनात्मक पक्ष है.
फिल्म की सकारात्मक बात यह है कि वह 26/11 के हमले को केवल धार्मिक टकराव के बजाय मानवता के खिलाफ अपराध के रूप में देखने की कोशिश करती हैअदालत की प्रक्रिया और सबूतों को महत्व देना भी इसकी अच्छी बात है.
लेकिन कहानी में रोमांच की कमी खलती हैकसाब को मुर्दाघर ले जाने और उसके साथियों के शव दिखाने जैसे दृश्य राम गोपाल वर्मा की ‘The Attacks of 26/11’ (2013) की याद दिलाते हैंजब दर्शक पहले ही इस घटना को कई बार देख चुके हैं, तो फिल्म में कुछ नया देने की जिम्मेदारी और बढ़ जाती है.
क्या सिनेमाघर में देखें फिल्म?
‘Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam’ गंभीर विषय पर बनी फिल्म है, लेकिन सपाट कहानी, औसत अभिनय और कोर्टरूम ड्रामा में रोमांच की कमी इसे कमजोर बनाती हैअविनाश अरुण की कोशिश और ललित प्रभाकर का अभिनय भी फिल्म की बुनियादी कमियों को दूर नहीं कर पाते.
मेरी रेटिंग: 2/5 स्टार
मुकेश कुमार गजेंद्र
@RajkummarRao @iWamiqaGabbi @AshishVid @JaideepAhlawat
#PrahaarTheUntoldStoryOfUjjwalNikam #PrahaarMovieReview #UjjwalNikam #RajkummarRao #LalitPrabhakar #WamiqaGabbi #JaideepAhlawat #SikandarKher #AshishVidyarthi #2611MumbaiAttack #BollywoodMovieReview #HindiMovieReview— Mukesh Kumar (@mukeshjourno) October 16, 2026
I’m a big admirer of #RajKumarRao and always love seeing him experiment with different rolesHonestly, I’m not sure why he chose to do #PrahaarThe story might be unique, and glorifying India is a great intention, but I was hoping to see him explore a completely different genreConsidering the current box office trends, I’m not sure this film will find the audience it deserves.
— Papun KrPatra (@PapunKPatra) October 16, 2026
#Prahaar – BORING
Prahaar had the potential to deliver a gripping courtroom drama based on the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and the role of #UjjwalNikam, but the final result falls short of expectations.
The biggest problem is its screenplayThe narrative lacks pace, the investigation and legal proceedings needed greater depth, and the emotional stakes never reach the level this story deserved.
#RajkummarRao is decent but his portrayal lacks consistencyThe accent feels uneven, making it difficult to fully connect with the characterThere are moments of promise, but the performance never comes together convincingly#WamiqaGabbi is another disappointment in terms of screen presence, largely because her character is poorly developed and has little substance to contribute.
Ultimately, Prahaar has a compelling subject but the execution is poorThe direction is very average.
And honestly, even the 4-star reviews may not be able to save this filmGiven the questionable credibility of some reviewers, these ratings are unlikely to change what audiences actually feel about the film.
VERDICT: A PROMISING SUBJECT LET DOWN BY WEAK EXECUTION.
I was expecting a good film from @MaddockFilms @RajkummarRao
— Siddharth Mathur (@TheSidMathur) October 16, 2026
#PrahaarReview :- STRICTLY AVERAGE !
Rating :- ⭐️⭐️
#Prahaar has been watched yesterday and its quite an AVERAGE ATTEMPT on 26/11 as makers failed to show the required IMPACT that was needed for a Ujjwal Nikam’s BIOPICPlus it constantly BORES you every 10 mins, so boring that it will test your patience.
The 1st half of the Film takes time to set up, there are some SOLID BLOCKS, specially the pre-interval scene, but that is all that you may see in the 1st halfPlus in the 2nd half, just after the Interval and the climax are good, rest all the shots are pretty averageIt could have been better if the runtime had been less, at least the impact would have been more than this.
Not many will agree here, but you need to watch it to understandJust like #Srikanth, I didn’t even like the ACTING of #RajKummarRao, as he is irritating and his accent irritates youSo @RajkummarRao is just about averagePlus his Box-Office pull is so negligible, I wonder how he is getting films.#WamiqaGabbi’s role was good for nothing as she doesn’t have anything to do
The Direction & Screenplay are average or decent, they definitely tried hard and it is visible in many sequences which really stand out.like there are Three scenes, but are these three scenes enough for a good movie? Nah ..not at all !!
Overall, it’s a STRICTLY AVERAGE FILM and kinda OTT TYPE FILM that you should avoid in Cinema halls and wait for the OTT to give it a trySave your money and thank me later
@iWamiqaGabbi @JaideepAhlawat
— CineHub (@Its_CineHub) October 16, 2026
#PrahaarReview The film is a biographical dramaNumerous films have already been made on the 26/11 Mumbai attacksHowever, this one depicts the life of a lawyer, how dedicated he is to his work, and how he handles the 26/11 caseThe film is a must-see.
⭐️⭐️ @MaddockFilms https://t.co/SOBGnLheiW— MULTI STARS JBP (@multistarsjbp) October 16, 2026
Weak screenplay and pacing trouble Prahaar
Another critical reaction gave the film one-and-a-half stars, arguing that it does not make the most of its subjectThe viewer described the storytelling as dry and the execution as dull, adding that several scenes failed to leave a lasting impression despite the presence of performers such as Rajkummar Rao, Jaideep Ahlawat and Ashish Vidyarthi.
However, not all viewers have dismissed the film entirelyAnother called it a decent attempt that contains powerful speeches and worthwhile courtroom momentsThe viewer felt that Rajkummar Rao nearly pulled off the role but pointed out some issues with his accentThe film was described as having something meaningful to say, although tighter editing and more consistent storytelling could have made it a much stronger experience.
The film focuses on the legal battle that led to the prosecution and conviction of terrorist Ajmal Kasab while also exploring Nikam’s personal life and the sacrifices his family made as he pursued justiceThe film’s music features compositions by Pritam Chakraborty, with Vishal Mishra and Pritam also credited as guest composers.
